Anyone who’s lived through a Wausau, WI winter can tell you that they’re extreme. The ability to take a nice hot shower or bath on a cold night is a small salve for them. When your home loses hot water in the winter, it’s natural to panic. Before you do, though, there are some steps you should take to identify the problem. Here are some of the things to check that may help you get your water heater back up and running.
Check Multiple Faucets
The first thing you should do if your home loses hot water is to determine whether the problem affects your whole house. Sometimes, what seems like a water heater issue can instead be a leaking hot water line. If you don’t catch a leak immediately, the damage it causes can multiply fast. When you think your water heater isn’t working, check a few additional faucets. If none have hot water, you can safely assume your water heater is the problem. If only one or two faucets have no hot water, you likely have a leak.
If you suspect a leak, you should look for a branch shutoff valve controlling that section of your plumbing. Often, you’ll find hot-water branch valves not far from where your main hot-water line exits your water heater. If you can identify the valve serving the problematic part of your plumbing, turn it off. Make sure you wear heat-resistant gloves when doing so, though, since the valve may be hot.
If you can’t find branch valves, your home may not have any. Some homes depend on a main shutoff valve and localized fixture valves. If you don’t know exactly where your leak may be, turning off your main water shutoff valve is your best bet. However, the remaining water in your water heater can still feed a leak, so you’ll still need an emergency plumber’s help immediately. If you can confirm that your water heater is the source of your problem, keep reading.
Check Your Water Heater’s Circuit Breaker
Whether you have an electric or gas-fired water heater, it requires electricity to operate. The former relies entirely on electricity. The latter likely uses it to power its burner ignitor, at least. If you lose hot water, it’s worth checking your home’s main circuit panel. Look for the circuit breaker labeled as supplying your water heater. If it’s in the off position, you’ve found your problem. In that case, try resetting the breaker to see if the problem goes away. If the breaker trips again soon afterward, your water heater likely needs repair.
It can be worth resetting your water heater circuit breaker even if it appears normal. Modern circuit breakers can trip silently without moving their switches to the off position. If nothing else, resetting your circuit breaker will power cycle your water heater. That alone may resolve your water heater problem.
Check Your Water Heater’s Fuel Supply
When you lose hot water, it’s easy to blame your water heater. However, what appears to be a water heater malfunction can just as easily result from a disruption to the fuel supply to your gas-fired heater. You should always check with your natural gas supplier to see if there are any known supply disruptions in your area. If there are, your water heater should continue regular operation once your gas supply resumes. Depending on your water heater model, you may need to follow a restart procedure at that point. If you’re unsure of what to do or if you’re uncomfortable following the procedure, contact us, and we’ll dispatch a plumber to help.
Verify Your Water Heater’s Thermostat Setting
Although it’s a long shot, an inadvertent change to your water heater’s thermostat setting could cause a hot water outage. In that case, you may feel lukewarm water that never reaches the temperature you’d expect. To verify your water heater’s thermostat setting, you must first locate its controls. If you have a gas-fired water heater, the thermostat control should be right next to the unit’s gas valve. The standard setting is 120°F. If yours is set well below that temperature, you may have found your problem. Changes to the thermostat can occur during service or when a DIY enthusiast seeks ways to save money. Either way, returning the knob to the correct setting should solve your problem after about half an hour.
If you have an electric water heater, it’s much less likely that an incorrect thermostat setting will cause a loss of hot water. That’s because the typical electric heater hides its thermostat controls behind metal panels. You can’t take those panels off without unscrewing the fasteners holding them in place. That makes it difficult to change the temperature settings accidentally. Still, if your hot water outage happened soon after someone serviced your heater, it may be a possibility. Electric water heaters may have one or two thermostats, located near the bottom and top of their tank, respectively. If you suspect a problem with those, you should let us send a plumber to help you. You shouldn’t try to remove the panels yourself.
Call Us When All Else Fails
Unfortunately, many things can cause a hot water outage that you can’t remedy yourself. Some of the most common reasons for water heater failures include broken heating elements or ignitors. Sometimes water heater thermostats malfunction, leading to erroneous temperature readings. That can make your water heater think it’s working fine when it isn’t. Another concern is that your water heater’s control circuitry can fail. Whatever the cause of your issue, our plumbers can find it and fix it fast.
Our plumbers can repair water heaters of all makes and models. Plus, we offer 24/7 emergency services so you won’t get stuck without hot water any longer than necessary. When repairs prove impossible or impractical, we can replace your water heater for you. We sell and install water heaters from multiple major manufacturers. If you need it, we can also offer financing options on approved credit to help you pay for your water heater replacement.
Your Local Water Heater Experts
For over 20 years, Southport Home Services has been the go-to water heater specialist in Wausau. Every member of our team is drug-free and prescreened for your peace of mind. You can count on them to always respect you and your home. We’re so confident in the quality of their work that we provide a 30-day parts-and-labor guarantee on all repairs. We also offer a whole-home maintenance agreement that covers all its major systems, including your water heater.
We’re a Better Business Bureau accredited with an A+ rating, signifying our commitment to fair business practices. We encourage you to read some of our customer testimonials to see what your neighbors think of our work. And when your home loses hot water and you need a prompt solution, contact our experts at Southport Home Services immediately!
